Halfway from tortoise to hare

Thursday, 16 April 2015

After I ran Paris and Milton Keynes marathons last year and then decided to take a break from that distance, I thought come next spring I would struggle seeing everyone else train for their marathons. I thought I’d regret my decision. I thought I’d miss those long, loooong training runs. I thought I’d miss the constant hunger. I thought I’d miss wearing compressions socks at all times. Even in the office. I thought I’d miss the ice baths. No, not those actually…. just everything else.

That spring is here now and everyone is running their spring marathons. There has been Brighton and Paris and there is London next week. Reading blog posts (read this one and try not to smile) and seeing happy post-marathon photos on Instagram makes me all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about all the marathon running badasses out there but as far as the need/want/longing to run one myself – I feel nothing.

It’s almost like for years you want to have kids and you NEED to be pregnant RIGHT NOW and you cannot stand seeing pregnant women everywhere because you want to be one of them. And then by some miracle (and a little help from fertility drugs) you have a couple of kids and all of a sudden, boom – you see pregnant people and you feel nothing.

It’s not a negative feeling though. It’s liberating. It just means it’s not your thing anymore. It just means you’re done with that time in your life and you’re ready for new things.

Once upon a time I thought it’d be nice to have 4 kids.
Then once upon a time I thought I couldn’t run. Then turned out I could. Then I thought I could only run long and slow, never fast. Then turned out I got faster.

I’m loving shorter races and my Thursday lunchtime quickie training runs. Two years ago if you’d told me I’ll love a fast 5km run I would have considered you crazy.

Life’s fascinating like that though. Things change. We change. At least I am quite surprised at who I have become. All my friends from high school and university still sometimes mumble “But you’re not sporty? You were never sporty? Were you SECRETLY sporty???”

I changed, peoples! Sometimes I even wear dots and stripes together and I EAT OLIVES NOW! Ta-da!

Last Sunday I ran the Clapham Common 10km race and came 3rd out of 81 ladies with a time of 46:22. It’s not LIKE THE WIND time yet, but for I’m-not-sporty-nor-fast kind of a person it’s pretty darn fast.

I have to say though that once that London Marathon ballot opens for 2016, I’ll be all over that application. I live in London for now, I have to run the London marathon one day. But let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. Until I get that magical ballot place, I’ll be zipping around 5km – half marathon races all over town. Catch me if you can! :)

I love this! It’s exactly the same approach I’ve taken this year too. 10ks, and a few half marathons are my goal this year, and not even for PBs… just for fun! Well done on your 3rd place :)

MrsBSaturday, 18 April 2015 at 09:24

I can’t race ‘for fun’ :| Every time I think I will, I still keep looking at my watch and wanting to go FAST. I do like to do a race with friends once in a while though, ones that are slower than me and who need a pacer and someone to chat with – those are truly ‘fun’ races run just for the enjoyment of it and for good company.